Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Excellent beer! Perfect balance of hops to malts. The smell is an instant hint of skunk but it has some nice nutty notes in there also. It has an exceptional taste it reminds me of a mix between there Motor Boat and there IPA, because you can taste malts along with hops. It is medium bodied and is pretty easy to drink this is a great craft beer I would recommend again to anyone. I haven't found a SweetWater brew that hasn't spoke for itself. (445 characters)

Aroma is strongly hoppy, like dry hops rather than evergreen, with hints of leaves, pine and cloves. It pours a dark, semi-transparent, muddy brown with a fairly thick pale golden-tan head. Rich flavor has firm tones of hops, molasses, caramel and malt along with fruity, earthy and floral hints. Smooth texture has full body and a fair amount of fizz. The wacky story on the bottle is a hoot! (393 characters)

Really a pleasant surprise. It's been a while since either Terrapin or Sweetwater hit a home run with one of their one-offs, but this one is easily over the fence. Reminds me a lot of one of Bear Republic's beers -- either Hop Rod Rye or Red Rocket Ale...can't quite remember which one it was. Either way, that's great company to be in. Hoppy, tasty and easy-drinking. (672 characters)

Lighter hued brown; looks wooden while poured. In the glass it has a deep rusty brown spectrum. Two finger head thins slowly; sticky lace remains. Retention is thin, but lace stays peppered across the glass (much thicker on the second pour).

The aroma is fantastic. It's not an exact ringer for the days when you could find fresh bottles of Lagunitas Imperial Red, but hot damn is it close. Dank hops; oh, those wonderful cannabis aromatics. Pine and zesty citrus, too (the latter being lesser). Layers of biscuit and toasted caramel broaden the aroma; remains rather dry, though.

One sip and I'm slightly peeved I didn't pick up two bottles. The hop profile boasts about as choice a crossing of hop flavor and bitterness as you're likely to find (especially in the South). I imagine it tastes like a big old wad of fresh pine needles that are laced with grapefruit and lemon. Lively and spicy; heck, just a tad juicy, too. Toasted bread and a mild caramel notion make the malt bill just fine and dandy. Some lingering bitterness and a dusting of biscuit.

The feel is situated toward the light side of medium, keeping the beer (and the hops for that matter) from being weighed down. At times it almost seems thin. Carbonation is tingly and well suited to the hop spiciness. The only downside here is that the feel starts to have a coating effect that builds over time. Resiny.

Yes, yes... I should have bought another bottle. Or seven. The abv is right on the cusp of where ease of drinkablility and danger meet. This is the choicest imperial red I've come across in a while. Highly recommended. Jeff, go get you some (and sorry about the bread). (1,701 characters)

A: A dark amber with a thick off-white head. Sheets of lacing all down the pint glass. Pretty funny story on the bottle.

S: True to its name, it is mostly fresh skunky and citrus hop. There's a sweet malt aroma in the background.

T: Very sweet malt up front that is immediately taken over by a floral and citrus hop flavor. The hop flavor is intense at first and then mellows out to a citrus peel bitterness in the finish.

M: Medium-heavy body and good carbonation. A little syrupy and oily from the hop.

O: Yeah, this is one for the hopheads out there. For having such intense flavors, it's surprisingly balanced. Very tasty. I would recommend picking a few up as I think this one is going to go fast! (706 characters)

A 22oz bomber picked up at Green's on Buford Highway right after work. Oh yeah...

A - A darker, burnt red color. 1 finger of head, and a little bit of sticky lace down the side of the glass. No sediment floating around.

S - Holy hoppiness! Citrus hops jump out of the glass and into your nostrils.

T - Very sweet up front, and then the citrus hops kick in. Finishes dry and bitter. Excellent!

M - Medium carbonation, with an oily aftertaste

O - Another great concoction from Sweetwater's Dank Tank! I am impressed with the speed they are now churning them out. I think Ghoulash just came out about 2 months ago! This is one of the best of them. Grab it while you can, or 2 (677 characters)

Pours semi-thick red with a gorgeous foamy light tan head that resembles a nitro pour...leaves tons of rings of sticky lacing and holds a foamy cap.

Aroma is hoppy with orange and grapefruit citrus, pine, floral and resinous hops, caramel and fruity malts, some bread, very good strength.

Flavor starts with citrus and pine hops, moves to a wonderful layer of rich fruit and caramel malt in the middle offering some sweetness and finishes with more citrus hops and good bitterness. Minimal alcohol. Very tasty.

Mouthfeel is full bodied, creamy, sticky, moderate carbonation.

I think this may be the best Imperial Red I’ve had...absolutely delicious! Potent aroma and nice mouthfeel round it out. Goes down DANGEROUSLY fast. Excellent stuff! (797 characters)

A- pours a very deep amber/red with a nice 1-2 finger head. could barely tell it was amber until it was put up to a light.

S-couldnt smell it well. was in a crowded bar, but i did get some hops mixed with some citrus and maybe some caramel.

T- upfront got some citrus and caramel, finishing with some slight hops and caramel. wasn't as hoppy as some reviews seemed to make it. may just be my judgement. I guess it did taste of some hops but just lacked that hoppy bitterness that alot of beers have.

MF- sort of full. some of creamyness to it. not to thick. fair carbonation. pretty well balanced.

O-very good beer. very balanced. Good hop flavor without much bitterness. Would love to find in a bottle and try this again (or on tap). I think this was a very well balanced beer. would highly recommend. (859 characters)

This one showed up and went fast around my area and I was lucky to grab a couple of bottles...

Loads of sticky piney resiny hops roll off of this thing... whew.... It's like sticking your nose in a freshly cut Christmas tree... Very pungent... The caramel malts used really start shining through as the beer warms and gives it a different vibe altogether... Interesting...

Very balanced flavors considering the pungent hoppy aromas... Big caramel malt presence and the sweetness that comes with it... The resiny piney hops break through right after and roll around the palate with that caramel sweetness and make this one a pleasure to enjoy... Long slow bitter finish... Very resiny and sticky at the end...

Another winner from the folks at Sweetwater... They have been knocking them out of the park with these Dank Tanks lately... Amazing beer... (852 characters)

I have said it a million times Iam sucker for a big hopped up red and this fits the bill to a tee.Poured into an impy nonic a dee rich amber with a large blooming off white head atop that took a long time to settle.Fresh resiny and grapefruit hop aromas really jump out at ya,a lighter brown sugar-like malty sweetness comes into play as well.A medium to full almost creamy-like feel wich is odd for the style in the mouth,it glides down very easy.Resiny sticky hops and a hefty caramel malt base fight for supremacy until a bitter hop shot in the finish.a very good beer,nearly great,for me the best of the Dank Tank series. (625 characters)

Received a 1 PINT 6 FL OZ bottle of this in a trade w/ CurtisMcArthur. Poured from the Bright Red/Green/Yellow labeled bottle w/ "el Danko" holding up a bar while he has Hops stuck to him & Red First ants climbing up his legs into a 12oz Schlafly Tulip Glass. Has BEST WHEN REFRIGERATED but no Freshness Date.

Aroma- Tons of fruit, sweetness, and malt hit the nose first. Has a medium caramel background. Hits the nose hard with character!

Appearance- Pours a .5 finger head but dies shorty after. Has the darkest brown/amber colored body possible. Leaves light lacing but very thick across the whole glass.

Flavor- Has tons of carmel and sweet hops in the beginning. Hops and malts are very well balanced and still have nice attributes that make them up! Sweet hops and a medium bitterness level then finishes the beer.

Mouthfeel- Medium Bodied, Medium-High Carbonation, Smooth, and has tons of caramel and sweet malts that finish on the palate.

Overall Impression- I would buy this brew again just for the branding! A very impressive Amber/Red Ale. This could also be one of my top 10 Reds. Pursuit of Hoppiness still holds to be #1 for me but pick this up if you have a chance! Fantastic. (1,200 characters)

Pours a deep, deep amber with a thin lacing of foamy head. It smells of intense, spicy, earthy, faint piney hops. You can just barely smell notes of toast and caramel malts underneath the intense hop aroma. The taste is also very hoppy. I get the hops immediately; spicy, earthy, mildly citrusy, floral, and piney - full spectrum. The malt comes through a little in the finish. It's toasty with faint notes of caramel. This is a medium bodied beer with great carbonation and is very smooth.

I happen to really enjoy this one, but I'm a hop head. If you prefer a more malty, less hoppy amber ale, then this won't be for you. A little more balance would probably make this more friendly to the masses, but for me though this was the coming together of an amber and an IPA, and it was an awesome marriage. (803 characters)

The body was cordovan colored, and the carbonation displayed a cascading bubbled effect before setting into a two finger thick head. The aroma was a mix of coffee, toffee, and hops. The taste followed as a pretty bracing concoction with grapefruit rinds, bitter herbs, and coffee grounds aplenty. The bitterness was basically unrestrained as the malt tended to be on the toasty side, lacking sweetness, and the body was somewhat watery. Very doubtful to call this a Red Ale of any kind, as the fresh hops pretty much ran the show from start to finish. I would say this is an IPA or a Harvest Ale with darker than typical malts. (627 characters)

T - Starts off with a hefty earthy/piney hop note - the dry hopping coming through big time. Mid-stream brings in a more citrus hop note. Fairly sweet tasting until the finish when a hefty bitterness makes its appearance.

Pours a muddy brown with orange tinge, two fingers of khaki colored foam that settles to a half inch and leaves a thick spray of lace on the glass.

Smell: resiny piney blast upfront, then light roast creeps in. A hint of sugared citrus peel. There’s also a pretty hefty impression left of fruit candy (think red gummy junk, but not in a bad way).

Taste: caramelized sugar, sharp blast of pine and an acidic citrus hit (lime like, actually). Then on into mint, evergreen-like herbs, and mild earthiness at the end of the sip. Dark brown sugar bittersweetness in the finish.

Medium bodied, creamy with fairly light carb. Very high IBU count, I’m sure, leaving everything it touches coated in oily bitterness. Though it’s very highly hopped, the overall experience is not purely "hop bomb" because there’s a ton of caramel in here. It’s good, no doubt, but I’m left wondering what could have been, had el Danko fallen into a vat of double Sweetwater IPA. In any case, Sweetwater’s Dank Tank has been turning out very tasty beer recently. (1,052 characters)